6 Creative Gingerbread Desserts to Enjoy All Winter Long

Emily Kinni

1 of 6Emily Kinni

Gingerbread Cupcakes With Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

If you like gingerbread cookies but prefer a cake with plenty of frosting, make a batch of these deliciously decadent holiday cupcakes. For a deeper, spicier gingerbread flavor, add ¼ teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper and ground nutmeg to the dry ingredients. The cupcakes are best eaten the day they’re made, but will keep up to two days in an airtight container.

Gingerbread Stack Cake

This rustic beauty is simple to assemble and incredibly fun to eat. The cream cheese filling (which is flavored with lemon curd) can be prepared a day in advance, but the pancakes are best the day they’re made. Sprinkle the completed cake with confectioners sugar for a snowy, festive finish.

Gingerbread and Chocolate Sandwiches

Hot chocolate doesn't have to be mixed with water and served steaming to be tasty. In fact, this hot chocolate frosting may be our favorite new variation, and it's especially delicious when sandwiched between two cookies. If you have time on your hands, make the gingerbread cookies from scratch.

Mini Gingerbread Cupcakes

These tasty little sweets combine spiced cake with a luscious cream cheese frosting, and are topped with a sliver of candied ginger for a pretty presentation. Using boxed gingerbread or spice cake mix speeds up the process, meaning you—the hostess—can actually enjoy the party.

Cranberry Gingerbread Cookies

A handful of dried cranberries and a sprinkling of golden sugar is all it takes to help store-bought cookie mix pass for homemade Christmas cookies. For uniform, perfectly round drop cookies, spoon out the dough with a small ice cream scoop. Use the rim of a drinking glass to add the sugar and flatten the balls.

Spicy Gingerbread Men

A pinch of cocoa powder, chili powder, and espresso powder give these iconic cookies a deep, complexly spicy flavor that's anything but ordinary. We recommend baking these cookies ahead of time; they taste even better the day after they are made. Feel free to experiment with a variety of shapes.